The use of closets to store personal items in homes and apartments has always had the inherent limitation that the space available in a closet is finite and restricted. This limitation is often a problem in the case of storing clothing in closets. For example, those who reside in regions that experience warm summers and cold winters generally have at least two sets of garments, heavier garments for use during the wintertime and lighter garments for use in warmer months. However, the limited space provided by closets in a home or apartment is often insufficient to accommodate the entire wardrobe owned by a person and/or his family in a neat and efficient manner. This is especially problematic in the case of apartments which tend to have fewer and smaller closets.
One solution to the problem is for the resident to purchase an article of furniture, such as a wardrobe or armoire, in which garments that cannot easily fit into the closet can be hung or otherwise placed. However, while this may free up needed space in the closet, the additional piece of furniture itself takes up space in the room in which it is kept, which in the case of a small apartment or room may be undesirable or impossible.
For these reasons, it is not uncommon for residents of apartments and homes to temporarily store their personal items at off-site locations remote from their residence and then retrieve the remotely stored items when those items are desired for use. Specifically, in the case of seasonal clothing and other related items, summer clothing may be stored at a remote location during winter months while winter clothing may be stored at a remote location during warmer months of the year.
Traditionally, a person will pack his or her seasonal garments that are to be temporarily stored in a box, carry the packed box to his or her car, and then transport the packed box to a storage center, repeating the process when necessary. Obviously, this is a time consuming process requiring removing garments from hangers, folding the garments, packing the box, lifting the box and driving the filled box to the storage location. When the garments are needed again, the packed box is retrieved, transported back to the residence, and unpacked. The garments must be refolded or re-hung and cleaned.
Systems are known wherein portable closet-type storage units are delivered to a person's residence by a storage company. In the summer, the resident packs the storage unit by hanging his or her winter clothing on a hanger rod provided in the storage unit and placing folded garments on shelves contained in the storage unit. The storage unit has doors or other closures which are closed or fitted onto the unit and the packed storage unit is picked up by the storage company and transported to a remote off-site storage location where it is stored until the winter clothing is needed (and the summer clothing in the apartment closet is not). At that time the packed storage unit is delivered by the storage company to the residence and the summer and winter clothes are exchanged. Generally, the winter clothes are unpacked from the storage unit and temporarily laid out on the floor or bed near the closet. The summer clothes hanging in the closet are removed from the closet and hung or otherwise placed in the storage unit. The winter clothes are then replaced back into the closet. This is a time consuming process requiring clothing to be refolded or re-hung on their hangers and cleaned. The storage unit, now packed with winter clothes, is transported to the off-site location where it is stored until the return of warm weather.
Another problem often arises in the temporary storage of personal items such as clothing in a closet at a remote location, such as a hotel, college dormitory or the like. Traditionally, a person will pack his or her clothing in a trunk or the like at his or her residence, transport the packed trunk to the remote location, unpack the trunk and hang the clothing in a closet at the remote location. This is time consuming and often results in the clothes becoming wrinkled. Alternatively, the clothing can first be hung in a portable wardrobe at the residence which is then transported to the remote location. The clothes are left in the wardrobe which itself is situated in the living space of the hotel or dormitory room. This is problematic in that the wardrobe takes up valuable living space.